Monocultural Versus Multicultural Teaching: How to Practice What We Preach

A Qualitative Investigation of Graduate-Student Changes Associated With Multicultural Counseling Courses

The critical incidents technique was used to gather information from graduate students about the changes they experienced connected to their participation in multicultural counseling courses. Trainees were also asked what course elements were linked to their personal changes. Racial and ethnic differences in response frequencies were analyzed. A diverse sample of 124 trainees from a variety of graduate programs participated in this Web-based qualitative survey. Trainees reported changes in terms of increased knowledge, increased self-understanding, attitude, and behavior and attributed these changes to didactic, interactive, and reflective activities, the influence of the instructor, and the course as a whole. The identified themes are illustrated through the use of the trainees' own words. Chi-square analyses found no differences between students of color and White students in types of changes reported or elements reported as catalysts for changes. The implications of these findings for the future of multicultural counseling training are discussed.